Design of a Wearable Sensor System for the Estimation of Lower Limb Joint Loading

The estimation of bone loading is crucial for understanding how physical activity improves bone health. Current methods to estimate bone loading utilize force plates and motion capture systems in a laboratory setting. This method is inefficient due to limited laboratory space and the inability to test real-world activities. This project aimed to develop a portable wearable sensor system to collect data necessary for the estimation of lower limb joint loading during daily activity. This proof of concept prototype serves as an initial sensor system to estimate bone loading outside the laboratory setting to bridge the gap in technology and overcome laboratory limitations

EFFECTS OF AN EXTENSIVE RUNNING BOUT IN NOVICE FEMALE RUNNERS

The purpose of this study was to characterize the spatiotemporal, force, and subjective effects that occur during an extensive run in novice female runners. Foot sole pressure, rate of fatigue, and speed were recorded during a 45-min flat ecological run. No significant effects were found in spatiotemporal, force-time, or rate of fatigue responses outside of the initiation phase of the running bout. When participants were grouped according to their pacing strategy, those with a decreasing speed over time exhibited significant decreases in rate of force development as time progressed. Participants tended to decrease mechanical loading variables, and increase their rate of fatigue throughout the run. Future studies should investigate a larger number of subjects to determine if these tendencies are characteristic of novice female runners

Commercially available pressure sensors for sport and health applications: A comparative review

Pressure measurement systems have numerous applications in healthcare and sport. The purpose of this review is to: (a) describe the brief history of the development of pressure sensors for clinical and sport applications, (b) discuss the design requirements for pressure measurement systems for different applications, (c) critique the suitability, reliability, and validity of commercial pressure measurement systems, and (d) suggest future directions for the development of pressure measurements systems in this area. Commercial pressure measurement systems generally use capacitive or resistive sensors, and typically capacitive sensors have been reported to be more valid and reliable than resistive sensors for prolonged use. It is important to acknowledge, however, that the selection of sensors is contingent upon the specific application requirements. Recent improvements in sensor and wireless technology and computational power have resulted in systems that have higher sensor density and sampling frequency with improved usability – thinner, lighter platforms, some of which are wireless, and reduced the obtrusiveness of in-shoe systems due to wireless data transmission and smaller data-logger and control units. Future developments of pressure sensors should focus on the design of systems that can measure or accurately predict shear stresses in conjunction with pressure, as it is thought the combination of both contributes to the development of pressure ulcers and diabetic plantar ulcers. The focus for the development of in-shoe pressure measurement systems is to minimise any potential interference to the patient or athlete, and to reduce power consumption of the wireless systems to improve the battery life, so these systems can be used to monitor daily activity. A potential solution to reduce the obtrusiveness of in-shoe systems include thin flexible pressure sensors which can be incorporated into socks. Although some experimental systems are available further work is needed to improve their validity and reliability

In-shoe sensor system with an embedded user interface and wearable leg unit

In-shoe sensor systems are of great interest to monitor foot health, sports activities and rehabilitation strategies. Among the potential users are people with diabetes, a large part of the population for which monitoring foot pressure and temperature is critical to avoid ulceration, and even amputation. Despite all these reasons the use of foot monitoring devices is still uncommon compared to other accessories such as fitness tracking devices. This work describes the development of an instrumented insole for monitoring pressure, temperature and humidity taking advantage of widely available wearable components. This is made possible by additionally developing a shield board for time-division multiplexing of the pressure signals and an embedded user interface which is stored in the microcontroller's memory and uploaded to a smartphone at start-up via Bluetooth Low Energy. The user interface runs on a smartphone to provide both real time monitoring and averages of sensor data. The system is described in detail and validated by monitoring pressure patterns during stance, by testing response to temperature variations and observing patterns in individuals with pes planus posture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gait Analysis Using Wearable Sensors

Gait analysis using wearable sensors is an inexpensive, convenient, and efficient manner of providing useful information for multiple health-related applications. As a clinical tool applied in the rehabilitation and diagnosis of medical conditions and sport activities, gait analysis using wearable sensors shows great prospects. The current paper reviews available wearable sensors and ambulatory gait analysis methods based on the various wearable sensors. After an introduction of the gait phases, the principles and features of wearable sensors used in gait analysis are provided. The gait analysis methods based on wearable sensors is divided into gait kinematics, gait kinetics, and electromyography. Studies on the current methods are reviewed, and applications in sports, rehabilitation, and clinical diagnosis are summarized separately. With the development of sensor technology and the analysis method, gait analysis using wearable sensors is expected to play an increasingly important role in clinical applications

A Wireless Flexible Sensorized Insole for Gait Analysis

This paper introduces the design and development of a novel pressure-sensitive foot insole for real-time monitoring of plantar pressure distribution during walking. The device consists of a flexible insole with 64 pressure-sensitive elements and an integrated electronic board for high-frequency data acquisition, pre-filtering, and wireless transmission to a remote data computing/storing unit. The pressure-sensitive technology is based on an optoelectronic technology developed at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. The insole is a low-cost and low-power battery-powered device. The design and development of the device is presented along with its experimental characterization and validation with healthy subjects performing a task of walking at different speeds, and benchmarked against an instrumented force platform

In-shoe plantar prressure measurement and analysis system based on fabric pressure sensing array

Author name used in this publication: David Dagan Feng2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Evaluation of the Performances of Two Wearable Systems for Gait Analysis: A Pilot Study

Wearable sensor systems to perform human motion analysis are receiving increasing attention in different application fields. Among wearable sensors, inertial sensors have promising features. However, before they can be employed routinely in clinical applications, it is important to evaluate their reliability. Gait analysis was performed on one male volunteer: data were simultaneously collected with HGait System, based on magnetic and inertial measurement sensor units system, and with STEP32, a commercial electromechanical system already used in clinics. Spatio temporal parameters and joint kinematics in the sagittal plane obtained with H-Gait and STEP32 are compared. The MIMUs system provides a reliable estimation of spatiotemporal parameters, and acceptable hip and knee kinematic curves, while ankle joint measurements must be improved to be clinically useful

Wearables for Movement Analysis in Healthcare

Quantitative movement analysis is widely used in clinical practice and research to investigate movement disorders objectively and in a complete way. Conventionally, body segment kinematic and kinetic parameters are measured in gait laboratories using marker-based optoelectronic systems, force plates, and electromyographic systems. Although movement analyses are considered accurate, the availability of specific laboratories, high costs, and dependency on trained users sometimes limit its use in clinical practice. A variety of compact wearable sensors are available today and have allowed researchers and clinicians to pursue applications in which individuals are monitored in their homes and in community settings within different fields of study, such movement analysis. Wearable sensors may thus contribute to the implementation of quantitative movement analyses even during out-patient use to reduce evaluation times and to provide objective, quantifiable data on the patients’ capabilities, unobtrusively and continuously, for clinical purposes